British military equipment is now being used in direct contact with Moscow’s troops on Russian territory. According to a source from the British media SkynewsChallenger 2 tanks, manned by Ukrainian troops and supplied by the United Kingdom, reportedly crossed the Russian border on August 6. They have since been used in the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Russia. No details have been provided by the British Ministry of Defense, whose policy nevertheless stipulates that the Ukrainian army is free to use military equipment on Russian territory. The Ukrainian side is also unclear as to how many tanks, and for what purpose, these Challenger 2 vehicles have been deployed in the ongoing offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, where a Ukrainian military administration has reportedly now been installed.
Fourteen Challenger 2 tanks were supplied in January 2023 by the United Kingdom, quickly followed by Germany and the United States with their own version of assault tanks (Leopard tanks and Abram tanks). Designed in 1994, the British Challenger 2 tank weighs 62.5 tonnes and is armed with a 120 mm rifled cannon and a 7.62 mm chain gun. These machines have since been operated by soldiers of the famous 82nd Air Assault Brigade, the “most powerful” brigade deployed by Ukraine since the start of the war. Whatever its use, the war equipment supplied by the United Kingdom must, according to its own military and foreign policy, comply with international laws.
The former Secretary of State for Defense had given his authorization
In theory, the British equipment was supplied to Ukraine in order to defend Ukrainian territory from Russian attacks. But according to the British magazine The Timesit was in fact the former Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, who during his mandate had given the authorization to Ukraine to use “all weapons provided” to strike Russian targets (with the exception of long-range cruise missiles). The Kursk operation, “as long as it aims to attack the logistics and infrastructure supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”, justifies the use of British weapons, the former minister judged on August 14.
A policy that remains unchanged despite the change of British government now led by Labour’s Keir Starmer: “There has been no change in the policy of the British government, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Ukraine has a clear right of self-defense against illegal attacks by Russia, which does not prevent operations inside the country,” the spokesperson for the new Defense Minister, John Healey, has since confirmed.